Album Review: Tigers That Talked - The Merchant

Full of drama and sweeping melodies from the opening track, 'The Merchant' is the perfect album for long winter nights.

First track '23 Fears' is a whirlwind of strings and guitars, that means that try as you might, you cannot help but be sucked into the song. Lead singer and guitarist Jamie Williams’ unique voice add to the drama and melancholy prevalent throughout the album.

It is with title track 'The Merchant' that violinist Glenna Larsen really comes to the fore, with strings swirling around the raw emotion present. But it’s the next song 'Holy Saturday, Gloomy Sunday' that highlights what a band Tigers That Talked could be. Handclaps, stomping drum beats and uplifting melodies - it’s not amiss of something found on a pop album.
Much of the album is very similar to that of sadly missed, and critically acclaimed Grammatics, with both bands receiving plaudits for the album, it will be interesting of this acclaim will deservedly translate into sales for Tigers That Talked.

There are slight letdowns on the album, with tracks 'The Earth And The Urn' and 'Waves' becoming background music at times, with it being very easy to zone out of the lyrics and melodies. This is quickly redeemed however with next track 'Black Heart, Blue Eyes' giving us the clearest indication as to the driving force that the band could be live.

It is the gentle nature of 'Wrestling With The Wolfcubs' that really stood out for me on this album. It’s not hard to do strong, brash songs that make up the album, but this slight change in tempo shows that there is so much more to this band. Final track 'In The Pockets Of Your Winter Coat' is rather like the last hurrah to send off what is a mostly wonderful album, but at over 5 minutes, feels like a drag in comparison to the rest of the album.

'Wrestling With The Wolfcubs' and 'Black Heart, Blue Eyes' are particular highlights, but as a whole album 'The Merchant' is definitely a contender after a couple of listens.